More From The Plain Dealer | Subscribe To The Plain DealerVoters back smoking ban, higher wage, poll shows Gambling issue appears to be loser Sunday, November 05, 2006Tom Breckenridge and John HortonPlain Dealer Reporters Ohioans won't take the bet on casinos and seem to favor a ban on smoking in virtually all public buildings, polling shows.

A proposal to hike the minimum wage, meanwhile, looks like a winner.

That's the bottom line on four statewide issues Ohioans will decide Tuesday, according to a survey of 625 registered voters conducted for The Plain Dealer by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Inc. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.

Despite a $20 million-plus campaign, a proposal to bring 31,500 slot machines to Ohio "looks like it's going to crash," said Brad Coker, managing director at Mason-Dixon. Fifty-seven percent of respondents were against Issue 3, which would change the Ohio Constitution to allow slots at seven horse tracks and at two sites in downtown Cleveland.

Backers hooked the slots to college education and guaranteed that a chunk of the slots receipts would cover average tuitions for eligible high school graduates attending in-state colleges.

Under the proposal, 55 percent of slots revenue would go to the slots owners and 30 percent to college education.

"On the surface, it looks good," said Connie Johnson, 54, of Dayton, one of the poll respondents. "But when you delve into it, you see how much [slots operators] would take off the top, and how much goes to college education."

The polling reflects the state's consistent opposition to gambling, said David Zanotti, co-chair of Vote No Casinos and president of a conservative public policy group called Ohio Roundtable. He said people simply "don't want casinos in their back yard."

DAYTON — More than 50 families from central and southwestern Ohio drove trucks towing empty horse trailers around the Dayton Daily News office building for an hour Sunday morning to publicize their support of Issue 3 for slot machines at racetracks and two additional Cleveland locations.

The demonstration's leaders, mostly women who live on horse farms, said they targeted the newspaper because its editorials opposed Issue 3 in Tuesday's general election

Protestors drove more than 50 vehicles, most pulling horse trailers, to the Dayton Daily News building to draw attention to their cause and to protest the DDN editorial board's recommendation for a 'no' vote on the issue. Staff photo by Jan UnderwoodClick to enlarge

Karen Heaberlin of Lebanon, a retired elementary teacher, said she canceled her subscription to the newspaper and helped organize the protest.

"I felt they are not presenting the other side," Heaberlin said. Her family raises and boards horses on 300 acres near Lebanon. "We just wanted to get our side out in a positive and cheerful manner."

Heaberlin said she supported Issue 3's provisions to deposit 30 percent of the proceeds to education funds for students. The provision guarantees that share for the first 12 years of the program. Several women said they believed it would continue at that level after 12 years.

Dot Morgan of Troy, director of the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association, said the provision in Issue 3 that gives 6 percent of the proceeds to racetracks for larger purses for racing is important to compete with nearby Indiana and Illinois, where purses are subsidized by slot machine proceeds.

"We personally have not raced in Ohio for five years because the purses are so poor," Morgan said.

Jeff Bruce, editor of the Dayton Daily News, said, "We have consistently opposed Issue 3 on our editorial page, but we have also given ample space to other points of view. We are committed to ensuring that our opinion pages are open to diverse views, including those who disagree with us."

DAYTON — More than 50 families from central and southwestern Ohio drove trucks towing empty horse trailers around the Dayton Daily News office building for an hour Sunday morning to publicize their support of Issue 3 for slot machines at racetracks and two additional Cleveland locations.

The demonstration's leaders, mostly women who live on horse farms, said they targeted the newspaper because its editorials opposed Issue 3 in Tuesday's general election

Protestors drove more than 50 vehicles, most pulling horse trailers, to the Dayton Daily News building to draw attention to their cause and to protest the DDN editorial board's recommendation for a 'no' vote on the issue. Staff photo by Jan UnderwoodClick to enlarge

Karen Heaberlin of Lebanon, a retired elementary teacher, said she canceled her subscription to the newspaper and helped organize the protest.

"I felt they are not presenting the other side," Heaberlin said. Her family raises and boards horses on 300 acres near Lebanon. "We just wanted to get our side out in a positive and cheerful manner."

Heaberlin said she supported Issue 3's provisions to deposit 30 percent of the proceeds to education funds for students. The provision guarantees that share for the first 12 years of the program. Several women said they believed it would continue at that level after 12 years.

Dot Morgan of Troy, director of the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association, said the provision in Issue 3 that gives 6 percent of the proceeds to racetracks for larger purses for racing is important to compete with nearby Indiana and Illinois, where purses are subsidized by slot machine proceeds.

"We personally have not raced in Ohio for five years because the purses are so poor," Morgan said.

Jeff Bruce, editor of the Dayton Daily News, said, "We have consistently opposed Issue 3 on our editorial page, but we have also given ample space to other points of view. We are committed to ensuring that our opinion pages are open to diverse views, including those who disagree with us."

...Dot Morgan of Troy, director of the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association, said the provision in Issue 3 that gives 6 percent of the proceeds to racetracks for larger purses for racing is important to compete with nearby Indiana and Illinois, where purses are subsidized by slot machine proceeds....

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2282 or rmodic@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Actually, the Indiana horse racing industry gets a percentage of the Admission Tax from the riverboats (with a cap on the maximum). The problem with the format is that it is very uncertain. The legislation can be changed at any time to take the money away from the industry. That is why the Indiana horsemen lobby for slots each year.

As noted by EW, Illinois gets no help at all. The industry receives nothing from other venues.

A Toledo news station did a segment on the 3 issue yesterday.They check into all claims the ads make and try to disprove them.The "true" stamp was given to each and every claim the ad makes.The station gave issue 3 a green light of approval!!!!!!